Jako: Agni Kai
by Slaughter3211
Summary: Something happened to Jinora and it has Sheng written all over it. Mako flys off the handle to up hold his promise to protect her.


Agni Kai

Mako was pissed no! He was livid! The little brat had no right! It had started yesterday, Jinora had come home from her date with Sheng late -again- and seemed uneasy and skiddish. Mako had tried to talk to her but she just said she was tired, he didn't miss the way she limped out of the room. He had persued the issue into her room, demanding she explain her new injury.

"It's nothing! I'm just alittle sore!"

"Bull shit!" She flinched now, and he had to soften his tone. "Your hurt, let me go get Korra to help."

"No I don't want Korra!" Her eyes were terrified and she seemed to shrink into herself with fear, he had no idea why.

"Okay then Pema or Tenzin."

"No please not my parents!" She seemed even more upset at this proposition.

"Okay, I'll go get some medical supplies and take a look." He turned to leave when he stopped to question. "What is hurting you? A cut? Scrape? Pulled muscle?" Her eyes stayed trained to the ground, he continued with realization. "A burn." It wasn't a question but she nodded anyways,slightly just enough to answer him. He returned in record time.

"Clothes off. Now" He growled, she winced but did as he said, it was unfair of him to take his anger out on her, but he had to focus on not leaving to track down the fucker she called a boyfriend and burn him to ashes. She was down to her bindings, she stood blushing and trying to turn away in modesty. He barely noticed her nakedness, his gaze was focused on the large burn on her lower left leg, from the ankle bone to the side of her knee, she was red and blistering.

"How?"

"We were swimming and I surprised him by tackling him and he freaked out and accidentaly burned me. It was my fault! I shouldn't have scared him it was just an accident, Mako! Honest." She rushed out, hoping to soothe his anger but it only worsened.

"This was **not **your fault! A man should never harm a woman!" His voice was calm and strong but held a deep anger inside. He knelt beside her leg and rubbed a soothing balm along the burn, his hand soft and tender as he treated the injury. She let a quiet sighs that distracted his anger ever so slightly, but he only had to see her burn to feel his temper flare up. When he was finished he told her to go to bed and he would talk with her in the morning. She nodded, yawning not questioning why he wouldn't stay with her.

When Mako pushed the old row boat into the water it's almost midnight. He makes it to the other side with relative ease, his anger was fueling every movement. He needed to find Sheng, but he didn't know much about him- didn't know where he lived or his usual hangouts. He needed information, and he knew just who to ask. The 20 year old thanked the spirits that he had a few spare yuans on him as he strolled into Scoochy's usual post. The 17 year old street kid looked slightly surprised to see Mako, but not unhappy to see the yuans in his hand.

"Whatcha need, Mako?" He asked casually, not noticing his friend's dark mood.

"Information on Sheng Hamachi. Now." Was the former street urchin's blunt reply.

"What do you need to know?" Scoochy asked, he had seen Sheng before- he liked to pick fights with the scrawnier urchins. Sheng wasn't Scoochy's favortie person.

"Where could I find him tonight?" Mako held out two yuans.

"Usually by the park, picking on hobos. What'd he do to draw your wrath upon him?" Scoochy grinned, always looking for intel.

"He burned my friend, Jinora, his girlfriend-on purpose I think." The street kid's grin vanished then.

"That pretty thing?" He said in recognization. "No charge old buddy. I just wanna come see you kick his ass." He sneered, Mako seemed apprehensive. "Plus he usually rolls with a few of his fire buddy's and you might need someone to watch your back."

"Whatever, but the scum is mine." Mako growled, stalking off with an eager Schoochy behind him. The 20 year old surveyed his new partner; Schoochy had grown on the streets but he was muscular and tall if only a bit on the leaner side. He would be intimidating enough to keep a few fire benders at bay and if all else fails the younger man was an impressive earth bender.

Without fail Mako zoned in on Sheng, he was lighting a vagabond's makeshift bush home on fire. Schoochy bended some dirt to put the fire out, this caused Sheng and his two friends to turn in annoyance.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" The shortest of the three called, he was portly and had a scruched nose like a cowpig.

"Yeah we was just having some fun!" The tallest one was lean and had a pinched weasly face.

"Sheng," Mako called out calmly, but the anger boiling below the surface. The boy recognized Mako and stuttered out an excuse.

"Hey it was on fire when we got here, Mako." He looked nervous.

"Why is Jinora burned?" Sheng tried to edge away but Scoochy bended up a ten foot tall circular wall out the group, preventing any escapes. "You hurt her, you should be glad she can still walk or else..." He trailed off, eyes intense. Sheng's friends looked ready to panic, whispering to each other.

"Hey it was just an accident."

"Then why didn't you help her!" Mako's yell was so suddened that even Scoochy flinched. Sheng looked apprehensive before a knowing look settled on his face.

"Oh I get it." He turned to his friends. "He likes Jinora. Ha! Like she would want a street rat like you! I'm a son of one of the richest men in town. Face it you'll never get my Jin Jin." Mako lost it when Sheng used Mako's own nickname for Jinora.

"Sheng Hamachi I challenge you to an Agni Kai." His voice was strong and commanding, Sheng didn't know if he was serious, when he realized he was he grinned.

"Fine if I win, then you forget this ever happened and I keep Jinora."

"And when you lose," Mako seethed. "You never come 50 feet of Jinora again or I will kill you."

"Deal!" Sheng laughed, arrogance riding through his veins. "I accept."

The two fire benders leaped into stances, while Scoochy bended himself and Sheng's friends to the top of the wall to watch.

Tenzin recieved a startling call from Lin at 4 in the morning, Mako was dueling it out with Sheng. He rushed himself, Korra, Bolin and Jinora to the park, where Lin said she would meet with them. When they arrived they saw a large wall of earth with a dirty urchin standing infront of it. Lin was arguing with him and she seemed to have met her match.

"Take down this wall now!"

"It's an Agni Kai! You can't interrupt an sacred, cultural ceremony like this!"

"If you don't remove the wall then I'll do it!"

"If you drop that wall then they could fire into the park and hit someone! You know I'm right!"

"How long have they been fighting?" It was Bolin who asked. Scoochy turned to him but kept his gaze fixed on Jinora.

"Since about midnight, shouldn't be much longer now." He took a few steps towards Jinora. "Hey Dollface how's your burn?" Tenzin whipped his head to face Jinora who looked sheepish.

"What burn?!" Her Father demanded. She looked down guiltly, about to answer but Scoochy beat her to it.

"It's why Mako challenged Sheng to an Agni Kai. Sheng burned Jinora last night -maybe on purpose, maybe not- and Mako got pissed and asked me where he could find the low life so I came for back up and entertainment." The earthbender rattled off as more fire shot out the top of the earth wall. Jinora glared at him and tried to say it was an accident. But Scoochy cut her off again. "It weren't no accident when Sheng taunted Mako and called him a street rat." Jinora flinched, she knew Mako hated that phrase and couldn't believe that Sheng would do that- actually she could.

"Let's just try to calm them down and not get anyone else hurt." Korra finally spoke up, her voice full of wisdom. Korra, Tanzin and Jinora airbended to the top of the wall; while Lin, Scoochy and Bolin rock propeled themselves. The sight was shocking.

Mako and Sheng covered in sweat and most of their clothes were charred, even their hair seemed darker with ash. They were breathing heavy but their strikes were firm and deadly, each could only dodge the other's strikes by mere inches. Sheng chanced one glance up and saw Jinora, he smirked proudly as if he had already won.

Mako pounce on the opportunity, he land one fire shot on the younger man's shoulder. Sheng recoiled at the burn, screeching that Mako cheated, that Jinora distracted him, that Scoochy had tripped him up. No matter the excuse, he still lost, Scoochy lowered the earth wall and laughed at Sheng's misfortune. Jinora rushed towards Mako with angry, tear-filled eyes.

"That was completly unnecessary!" She shouted at him, and poked him in the chest to help drive her point home. "You could've been hurt! Or worse!" He smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and leaned on her while she escorted him back to the others. Sheng had run off, Bolin was screaming curses at him, Tenzin was thanking Lin for the call, Korra was trying to calm Bolin down and only Scoochy seemed to notice the tend-almost intimate- moment shared by Jinora and Mako.

"Here I'll fix you up." Korra said as she turned to heal Mako's scrapes and bruises. "Good news is nothing will scar. Bad news is Jinora is gonna be upset with you for a while longer." Mako groan, to tired to function words. Korra chuckled and turned to heal Jinora's burn, thankfully it wouldn't scar and Jinora wouldn't have to walk with a limp any longer.

Scoochy turned to Lin curiously. "Hey who made the call about them fighting?"

"Some random hobo, didn't believe him at first but then he mentioned Mako and I thought it would be best to check it out." She gave him an apprasing eye. "You were very good at keeping us out of the fight, good interrogation strategies and reasoning- you might do well in the police academy." The two started walking off towards the station, still talking, Scoochy seemed eager at a new opportunity.

Once at home, Jinora was making some stew for the napping firebender, he was asleep in her bed where she could 'take care of him.' He was just waking up when she entered the room with a tray, balancing a bowl of stew, moonpeach cups, glass of water and a cup of Jasmine tea.

He smiled as she set the tray down beside him. She didn't say anything for a long time, just watched him eat and helped him sip his tea. Finally she broke the silence.

"Thank you," Her voice sincere. "For everything. For telling me stories to help me sleep. For helping me with my homework. For letting me sleep with you. And for.." She paused with a blush. "For helping me practice to impress Sheng. And thank you for protecting me, like you promised me you would." He smiled as he remembered the night he told her he would always protect her, that was so long ago, she had been ten then. Looking at her now -fifteen!- she seemed completely different. But he loved her still the same, he smiled at her next words.

"Get well soon Mako, I love you." She left the room giving him a kiss on the cheek and a soft hug. He whispered to her long after she was gone -but he knew she'd heard him some how.

"I love you too Jinora."


End file.
